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Post by bangkokbobby on Nov 14, 2016 4:15:05 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: Czech Republic Wins 2016 Fed Cup; 3rd Straight Title, 5th Title in 6 YearsLucie Hradecka, Petra Kvitova, Petr Pala, Barbora Strycova and Karolina PliskovaJust a quick congratulations to the 2016 Fed Cup Champion Czech Republic. Continuing a historically great run of play, the Czech team captures its 3rd straight Fed Cup title by defeating France 3-2, becoming the first team since Spain (1993-1995) to accomplish that feat. This also marks their 5th title in 6 years and 10th title overall. 2-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has been a member of all 5 recent wins. She now has the most titles in the history of the Czech Republic and is tied for 4th overall with Spaniards Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. They trail only Americans Chris Evert (8), Billie Jean King (7) and Rosie Casals (6). I have a soft spot for Petra. She is on my current Mount Rushmore of favorite players along with Madison Keys, Simona Halep and Maria Sharapova. I always wish Kvitova every good…so long as she isn’t playing Maddie! That said, the heroics in this final came from Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova. Pliskova won an epic 16-14 third set for the ages on day 1 over France’s Kristina Mladenovic. After Caroline Garcia of France defeated Kvitova and Pliskova in singles, Barbora Strycova saved the day for the Czech Republic by first beating Alize Cornet and then teaming with Pliskova to take down the ace doubles team of Mladenovic and Garcia to clinch the title at 3 rubbers to 2 from down 2-1 in rubbers. RESULTS DAY ONE KAROLINA PLISKOVA (CZE) d. Kristina Mladenovic (FRA), 3-6 6-4 16-14 CAROLINE GARCIA (FRA) d. Petra Kvitova, 7-6 (6) 6-3 DAY TWO CAROLINE GARCIA (FRA) d. Karolina Pliskova (CZE), 6-3 3-6 6-3 BARBORA STRYCOVA (CZE) d. Alize Cornet (FRA), 6-2 7-6 (4) PLISKOVA/STRYCOVA (CZE) d. Garcia/Mladenovic, 7-5 7-5 2016 FED CUP CHAMPIONS – CZECH REPUBLIC
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Post by bangkokbobby on Nov 22, 2016 7:55:11 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: Fairways and Forehands 2016 WTA and LPGA Top 12 Year In Review: #12 Madison Keys and Minjee LeeMadison KeysFor the fourth annual edition of my WTA and LPGA money list countdown I will focus on the dynamic dozen from each tour, the top 12 on the money lists. For the WTA, singles, doubles and mixed are combined for total earnings. Here are the #12 players for 2016: Madison Keys (WTA) and Minjee Lee (LPGA). MADISON KEYS (WTA) 2016 Prize Money: $2,311,022 Titles: Aegon Classic Birmingham It was a season of growth for my favorite active tennis player, Madison Keys. 12th on the money list, the 21-year old American reached #7 in the world in singles, her highest ranking to date and finished the season at #8. Along the way she won the Aegon Classic Birmingham, her second career singles title (both on grass, where her big serve is most lethal). She also played into the second week of all four Majors, although she did not reach a quarter or semi as she did in 2015. She played for the bronze medal at the Olympics, coming up just short against Petra Kvitova. However, in my opinion Maddie’s best result was in Rome at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia where she beat Kvitova, Andrea Petkovic and Garbine Muguruza, all in straight sets, en route to a final against Serena where she took then-#1 Williams to a first set tiebreak. It was that clay court performance that reminded me of the potential Maddie has to be a future Major winner. She also showed tremendous heart in the 3rd round of the US Open, coming back from 1-5 down in the 3rd set to defeat Naomi Osaka. Add in a runner-up finish at Rogers Cup and Keys is moving in the right direction. If there is one aspect of her game to tighten up, it’s her second serve. Sure, her kick serve is a problem for lower ranked players but against Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep, they adjust their return position and jump all over it. Serena William built the most formidable service game in the history of women’s tennis not only because of her booming first serves, but also her solid second serve. If Keys improves her second serve over the off-season, she could…check that, she will…reach the top 5 in 2017. Minjee LeeMINJEE LEE (LPGA) 2016 Prize Money: $1,213,902 Titles: Lotte Championship, Blue Bay LPGA If you ask Minjee Lee about her shot of the year, no doubt she would point to her hole in one on a par 4 at the Kia Classic. It was only the 2nd ever par 4 hole in one in LPGA history, both coming this year. Historic or not, that wasn’t my favorite Minjee shot this year. Let me say, I am not dimishing her achievement as some have, noting the moved up tee on the 275 yard 16th hole at Aviara. Length is not my issue. After all, the other par 4 hole in one, by Ha Na Jang, was on a 218 yard par 4. No, it’s the significance of Lee’s eagle on the 13th hole in the final round of the Lotte Championship. It was part of a back 9 30 which helped propel the Aussie from 5 back at the start of the day to her second career victory and first of the season. She would go on to add a second title at the Blue Bay LPGA. Even though she didn’t medal, a tie for 7th at the Summer Olympics in Rio was a great performance. If there was one letdown on Minjee’s year it’s that she didn’t have the Major results to match her talent. With 3 career regular LPGA wins in two years, look for Major success as the next step in her development. MINJEE LEE MADISON KEYS
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Post by bangkokbobby on Nov 23, 2016 6:06:33 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: Fairways and Forehands 2016 WTA and LPGA Top 12 Year In Review: #11 Johanna Konta and Haru NomuraJohanna KontaFor the fourth annual edition of my WTA and LPGA money list countdown I will focus on the dynamic dozen from each tour, the top 12 on the money lists. For the WTA, singles, doubles and mixed are combined for total earnings. Here are the #11 players for 2016: Johanna Konta (WTA) and Haru Nomura (LPGA). JOHANNA KONTA (WTA) 2016 Prize Money: $2,363,882 Titles: Bank of the West Classic Awards: WTA Most Improved Player Ok, I promise this is the last time I rant about this…well, until the next time. I’m still smarting about what happened to Johanna Konta at the 2016 WTA Finals, being part of all the pre-tourney celebrations only to get passed at the last moment by Svetlana Kuznetsova for the 8th and final spot in the event. The WTA needs to know who the qualifiers are before they go through all the pomp and circumstance in Singapore. Anyway…that aside, Jo showed signs of the player she could be in 2015, particularly at the US Open. So in 2016 it was no surprise to see her reach two finals, in Stanford and Beijing, winning the former…the Bank of the West Classic in a tough 3-setter against future Hall of Famer Venus Williams. It was Johanna’s WTA singles title. She came up just short at the China Open, capturing the runner-up trophy to Agnieszka Radwanska. Konta became the first British woman in 30 years to crack the WTA top 10 in singles. She was as high as #9 but finished the year at #10. Jo was named the WTA’s Most Improved Player. Overall, it was a breakthrough season for Johanna Konta…just please no more health scares like her collapse on court at the 2016 US Open. Haru NomuraHARU NOMURA (LPGA) 2016 Prize Money: $1,228,295 Titles: ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic One of my favorite moments from Haru Nomura’s fantastic 2016 LPGA season came after she won the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open. Asked whether she thought she was on the same level as world #1 Lydia Ko…and after some hesitation…Haru gave a tongue in cheek answer that she was better! She was just joking…well, at least I think she was joking. Look, she’s not Lydia…but by April, after a victory at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, she joined Lydia and Ha Na Jang as early season multiple winners in 2016 before April was over. Those were also the first LPGA tournament victories for Haru Nomura. Riding a strong putter, Haru always finished in the money this season, save for a withdrawal at Volvik before finishing her first round. She was also the first Japanese player to win on the LPGA since Mika Miyazato at the 2012 Safeway Classic. Ai Miyazato also won in 2012…twice in fact (Lotte Championship, Walmart NW Arkansas Championship). While Haru is Japanese (her father) and represents Japan, I do want to add that her mother is Korean. That’s right folks, this Japanese golf star has Seoul! HARU NOMURA JOHANNA KONTA
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Post by bangkokbobby on Nov 24, 2016 4:16:00 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: Fairways and Forehands 2016 WTA and LPGA Top 12 Year In Review: #10 Svetlana Kuznetsova and So Yeon RyuSvetlana KuznetsovaFor the fourth annual edition of my WTA and LPGA money list countdown I will focus on the dynamic dozen from each tour, the top 12 on the money lists. For the WTA, singles, doubles and mixed are combined for total earnings. Here are the #10 players for 2016: Svetlana Kuznetsova (WTA) and So Yeon Ryu (LPGA). SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA (WTA) 2016 Prize Money: $2,396,479 Titles: Apia International Sydney, Kremlin Cup Once again, I want to say this is the last time I will comment on the Johanna Konta/Svetlana Kuznetsova situation at the 2016 WTA Finals…until the next time. I just want to say that my last countdown post covering Johanna Konta, wherein I was critical of the WTA, was in no way meant to be critical of Svetlana Kuznetsova. Sveta did nothing wrong. Having qualifying run last minute through the Kremlin Cup was how the tour set it up. Kuznetsova had to win the title in Moscow to get into Singapore…and she did just that. That is clutch from the 2-time Major winner in both singles and doubles. Then she hopped on a plane to rush to Singapore, where she played a couple of inspired matches through mounting exhaustion to get to the semifinal round. At 31, Sveta is still a threat to anybody in a draw, even Serena. Kuznetsova beat then-world #1 Williams en route to a runner-up finish in Miami. Add in a title at the Apia International and the 33-time WTA champion (17 singles/16 doubles) continues to add to a career that should one day earn her a spot in Newport, Rhode Island at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. So Yeon RyuSO YEON RYU (LPGA) 2016 Prize Money: $1,259,485 I was not looking forward to this post. It’s because I am so fond of So Yeon Ryu. She is such a great player on the course while carrying herself with grace off the course. So Yeon holds a soft spot in my heart. But I can’t “keep it real”, as the kids say, without addressing the elephant in the room. Of the 24 players I will cover in my WTA/LPGA countdown, Ryu is only one without a title on her main tour in 2016. She is a tremendously talented player who often puts herself in positions to win…then something happens. Just this past Sunday at the CME Group Tour Championship she was tied with eventual winner Charley Hull coming down the stretch…and then found the one spot in the bunker on 17 to torpedo her chances. Make no mistake, as great as she continues to be…after all, she is still in the top 10 of the money list, Rolex Rankings, POY points, etc…if she could finish half of her winning opportunities, she would be a perennial top 3 Player of the Year contender. Top 10 in 4 of 5 LPGA Majors in 2016…and T11 in the other one…6th in scoring average…So Yeon Ryu is special. Outside of all the wonderful things that happened with Ariya Jutanugarn, one of the brightest moment for me as a fan in 2016 was seeing In-Kyung Kim return to the LPGA winner’s circle. Next year, I hope So Yeon Ryu does the same. SO YEON RYU with Minjee Lee, Se Ri Pak, Hee-Young Park and Mi-Jung HurSVETLANA KUZNETSOVA
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Post by bangkokbobby on Nov 24, 2016 20:45:23 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: Fairways and Forehands 2016 WTA and LPGA Top 12 Year In Review: #9 Petra Kvitova and Brittany LangPetra KvitovaFor the fourth annual edition of my WTA and LPGA money list countdown I will focus on the dynamic dozen from each tour, the top 12 on the money lists. For the WTA, singles, doubles and mixed are combined for total earnings. Here are the #9 players for 2016: Petra Kvitova (WTA) and Brittany Lang (LPGA). PETRA KVITOVA (WTA) 2016 Prize Money: $2,500,516 Titles: Wuhan Open, WTA Elite Trophy Olympics: Bronze Medal (Singles) Team Titles: Fed Cup Champions (Czech Republic) Talk about finishing the year on a roll! 2016 was shaping up to be…dare I say it…a lost year for Petra Kvitova. Myself and others have raved about her pure talent season after season, waiting for that breakthrough, that ascendency, to the top of the WTA mountain. For most of 2016, it seemed Petra was going backwards. A 2-time Wimbledon champion, she was out in the 2nd round this year at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open, and only to the 3rd round at Roland Garros. Then, slowly Kvitova started to catch some momentum, starting with a Bronze Medal finish at the Olympics. She finally reached the second week of a Major at the US Open. Then she really caught fire at the end of the year, winning in Wuhan and Zhuhai while posting a runner-up in Luxembourg. Unfortunately, her hot play came too late to qualify for Singapore…so hopefully Petra starts 2017 the way she finished 2016. If she does…and she claims being #1 in the world is still a goal…Kvitova still has time to ascend to the top of the WTA mountain. In Wuhan, she beat world #1 Angelique Kerber, then dominated Johanna Konta, Simona Halep and Singapore champion Dominika Cibulkova. The 6-1 6-1 trouncing she put on Domi in the Wuhan final was a reminder of why so many people say that when Petra is on, she is the best. Brittany LangBRITTANY LANG (LPGA) 2016 Prize Money: $1,259,787 Titles: US Women’s Open Hey, look at this! An American made my LPGA countdown list! How did that happen?! I’m being facetious, of course. It happened because Brittany Lang scored a career highlight by winning the US Women’s Open. If I’m being completely honest, overall her season probably does not rate top 10 against other players. After all, she missed the cut in 2 of 5 Majors and was not in contention in 2 of the remaining 3. But it is that last one that gave her the $810,000 winner’s purse boost that propelled her into the #9 position on the year-end money list. Bottom line is, I want to see more Americans winning on the LPGA, not just two titleists like in 2016 (Brittany Lang and Lexi Thompson). It is good for the tour to have stateside success. My perfect world would have a great mix of American and International winners. I want to see everybody be great. I also understand that’s not always how reality works out. Why did the Americans have such a down year (outside of the International Crown) in 2016? Are we just being outworked by the competition? Maybe. I don’t really know. I hear people complain that the American players spend more time on social media than practicing. Possibly, but I will say I follow Ariya Jutanugarn and other top players like Lydia Ko and In-Gee Chun on social media and they are just as active online, if not more so. Is it a transition period where our big guns, Stacy Lewis, Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson, regressed a little or possibly just had an off-year? I think they had decent years. Maybe it’s just that every year more great players come on tour. As those players develop into champions, it gets tougher and tougher to be top 10. Ariya, In-Gee, Brooke Henderson, Hana Jang, Haru Nomura and Minjee Lee…those are all players not in the top 12 last year on the official money list. Add in the fact that those are all players 24 or younger, and it’s not going to get any easier for anybody to crack the top 12 in the near future, American or otherwise. That said, I hope more than one American makes the LPGA side of my countdown next year. Otherwise, I might have to do like the American media and adopt Canadian Brooke Henderson. BRITTANY LANG with Lydia Ko PETRA KVITOVA
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Post by bangkokbobby on Nov 26, 2016 6:40:30 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: Fairways and Forehands 2016 WTA and LPGA Top 12 Year In Review: #8 Victoria Azarenka and Ha-Na JangVictoria AzarenkaFor the fourth annual edition of my WTA and LPGA money list countdown I will focus on the dynamic dozen from each tour, the top 12 on the money lists. For the WTA, singles, doubles and mixed are combined for total earnings. Here are the #8 players for 2016: Victoria Azarenka (WTA) and Ha-Na Jang (LPGA). VICTORIA AZARENKA (WTA) 2016 Prize Money: $2,651,080 Titles: Brisbane International, BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Miami Open Victoria Azarenka’s 2016 WTA season was like a shooting star burning a path across the sky…so brilliant and bright, then gone far too quickly. However, despite some injuries that nagged her after Miami, it wasn’t a diminishing body that stopped her high level of play. In fact, it was an addition to her body that forced her to call it a year on July 15th. That addition is another human being growing in her womb. Following Kim Clijsters and Evonne Goolagong before her, Vika is stepping away from the game to have her first child with plans on returning in 2017. Without question, having a child is far more important for Azarenka…but what a 2016 it was shaping up to be! She won Brisbane in her first tournament of the year, then pulled off the tough Indian Wells-Miami double, those two tournaments being among the most important non-Major or year-end finals tournaments. Clijsters and Steffi Graf are the only other female players to have pulled off the Indian Wells-Miami double in the same year (although to be fair, Serena Williams skipped Indian Wells for many years). In the finals of her three tournament wins, she beat then #1 Serena, current #1 Angelique Kerber and Svetlana Kuznetsova. After Miami, Vika barely played much as injuries limited her success. She retired in her first match at Roland Garros with a knee injury and withdrew from Wimbledon. She basically played healthy for 4 months and still is #8 on this list. Imagine if she had played a full healthy schedule. Instead of Angie, it might have been the year of Vika. Ha-Na JangHA-NA JANG (LPGA) 2016 Prize Money: $1,383,575 Titles: Coates Golf Championship, HSBC Women’s Champions, Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship This should have been a year of celebration unfettered by controversy for Ha-Na Jang. After being a stellar player for years on the KLPGA, she earned her first 3 LPGA wins in 2016, was top 5 in Player of the Year points, top 5 in scoring average, hit a par-4 hole in one and led the LPGA in percentage of rounds under par. But celebration was the last thing she needed as her dance after winning HSBC caused a home country controversy. This was after Jang’s father accidentally dropped a 15 pound luggage bag down an escalator, hitting fellow Korean star In-Gee Chun and causing her not only to miss tournaments but slid Ha-Na into the final spot on the Korean Olympic women’s golf team. Compounding the issue was an apology from Jang’s father that was seen as lacking. Look, I hope that’s in the past. In-Gee went to the Olympics and won the Vare Trophy for LPGA scoring average. Leave Ha-Na Jang alone…and for crying out loud, let the lady dance, do cartwheels or anything else when she wins, which I fully expect her to do a lot more. She’s not Tonya Harding. In-Gee isn’t Nancy Kerrigan. And Jang’s dad isn’t Shane Stant. I love watching Ha-Na Jang play golf. Her spirit is infectious. What occurred was not her fault. Accidents happen. How people accept or don’t accept apologies is their choice. So long as the apology is sincere, that’s all she needed to do. HA-NA JANG VICTORIA AZARENKA
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Post by bangkokbobby on Nov 27, 2016 23:17:54 GMT
more pics and video on my blog: Fairways and Forehands 2016 WTA and LPGA Top 12 Year In Review: #7 Garbine Muguruza and Anna NordqvistGarbine MuguruzaFor the fourth annual edition of my WTA and LPGA money list countdown I will focus on the dynamic dozen from each tour, the top 12 on the money lists. For the WTA, singles, doubles and mixed are combined for total earnings. Here are the #7 players for 2016: Garbine Muguruza (WTA) and Anna Nordqvist (LPGA). GARBINE MUGURUZA (WTA) 2016 Prize Money: $3,903,388 Titles: Roland Garros After showing tremendous promise the two years prior to this season…winner her first title in 2014, winning another title and finishing runner-up at Wimbledon in 2015…Garbine Muguruza cashed in on her potential this year with her first Major title, Roland Garros 2016. Not only did she win in Paris, she avenged (somewhat) her loss to Serena Williams in the final of Wimbledon 2015. Let me also say that there are lots of Serena losses where her opponent played well, but it was really errors from Williams that told the story. Not this time. Garbine, who had beaten Serena soundly at Roland Garros 2014, played championship level tennis and controlled the Roland Garros 2016 final. It was the kind of performance that has people in the tennis world envisioning Mugu as a future world #1. The first women’s Spanish singles Major winner since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Garbi ascended to world #2 with the title. But then…like some others before her, she slumped after her maiden Major. While she did qualify for Singapore, the rest of her year was a little bit of a letdown. I’ve compared what happened to Mugu to what happened to Li Na after she won her first Major. Li Na, who was closer to the end of her career than Garbi is now, recovered and went on to win another Major at the 2014 Australian Open. The Chinese star was 31 when she won in Melbourne. I have no doubt the 23-year old Garbine Muguruza will bounce back and fulfill her vast potential. Anna NordqvistANNA NORDQVIST (LPGA) 2016 Prize Money: $1,424,685 Titles: ShopRite LPGA Classic Luggage-gate with In-Gee Chun & Ha Na Jang. The Singapore qualifying kerfuffle with Johanna Konta and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Apparently, it’s controversy after controversy for this year’s countdown. And now we have the club grounding by Anna Nordqvist in a hazard during the playoff of the 2016 US Women’s Open. I just felt sick for Anna in how this unfolded. To lose out on her chance at a 2nd Major title that way…let’s just move on. Maybe it’s just me, but is there a more unassuming superstar on the LPGA than Anna Nordqvist? It just doesn’t seem that I hear her name come up when people discuss the very best players on tour. Yet all she has done the past three years (2014-2016) is win at least one event, grab 7 top 10s in Majors and finish in the top 10 of the money list each season. She successfully defended her ShopRite LPGA Classic title. Not only that, Anna did so in record fashion with a 17-under 1 shot victory. Winning should always be the highlight of a season, and it is in Nordvist’s case, but I also look at her runner-up result at the US Women’s Open as another highlight despite the how it ended. The tour leader in greens in regulation, Anna just keeps playing great golf. Hopefully, we will all hear her name come up more if she has a 2017 season like the last three. ANNA NORDQVIST GARBINE MUGURUZA
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Post by bangkokbobby on Dec 12, 2016 1:55:55 GMT
more pics and video on my blogs: Fairways and Forehands 2016 WTA and LPGA Top 12 Year In Review: #6 Dominika Cibulkova and Sei-Young KimDominika CibulkovaFor the fourth annual edition of my WTA and LPGA money list countdown I will focus on the dynamic dozen from each tour, the top 12 on the money lists. For the WTA, singles, doubles and mixed are combined for total earnings. Here are the #6 players for 2016: Dominika Cibulkova (WTA) and Sei-Young Kim (LPGA). DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA (WTA) 2016 Prize Money: $3,940,433 Titles: WTA Finals, Katowice Open, Aegon International, Generali Ladies Linz Awards: WTA Comeback Player of the Year After capturing at least one singles title in 2012, 2013 and 2014, Dominika Cibulkova had her streak of consecutive years with at least one championship broken in 2015. That was understandable considering Domi had achilles tendon surgery early in 2015. She did come back that season but didn’t hit her stride until this season. 2016 sure made up for a relatively lost year in 2015. Cibulkova won 4 titles, including the singles crown at the year-end WTA Finals, finished runner-up in 3 others (Acapulco, Madrid, Wuhan) and finished the season with her highest ever singles ranking at #5. Add that up and you have the 2016 WTA Comeback Player of the Year. It will be interesting to see if the diminutive Domi can reproduce these results in 2017. Taking nothing away from her, Serena Williams was not at her highest level in 2016, skipping Singapore for the 2nd straight year, Victoria Azarenka was out pregnant, Maria Sharapova was suspended and Petra Kvitova underperformed until late in the year. Again, I am not diminishing Dominika. I simply bring those four multiple-Major winning champions up because they have a power tennis style that can hit through Cibulkova in a way that current world #1 Angelique Kerber doesn’t, not to mention that none of those four were at the WTA Finals. Angie is the clear world #1 right now but she plays a style that allows Domi to get into rallies and use her athleticism. On the other hand, with the confidence gained in winning Singapore maybe Cibulkova is poised to stay in the top 5 for a long time. Sei-Young KimSEI-YOUNG KIM (LPGA) 2016 Prize Money: $1,445,937 Titles: JTBC Founders Cup, Meijer LPGA Classic I LOVE Sei-Young Kim. In only two years on the LPGA tour, she has quickly become one of my top favorites. I love the passion and excitement she brings to the game. For all those people out there who claim the Korean players show no emotion I suggest you follow the fiery Sei-Young Kim. First of all, I was recently watching an LPGA tournament from 1994 and it wasn’t as if the American, Canadian and European players back then were uniformly exciting outwardly. Like any other nation of players, some showed emotion but vast majority just went about the business of playing their round. My favorite Korean player of all time, Grace Park, was nicknamed Hurricane Grace…and there were times her emotions were volatile. Grace was no iceberg of stoicism. Put Sei-Young Kim in with the most exciting players on tour, for sure. She also has the substance to back up the style. After winning the 2015 Rookie of the Year, Sei-Young showed no sophomore slump in adding two 2016 titles, the JTBC Founders Cup and the Meijer LPGA Classic. 3 of her 5 LPGA wins have come in playoffs. In fact, she has yet to lose an LPGA playoff, staring down greats like Inbee Park, Ariya Jutanugarn, Sun Young Yoo and Carlota Ciganda. Sei-Young hit an approach from the rough in the Meijer playoff against Ciganda that was one of the best shots of the year. In winning the Founders Cup, she set a tournament record and matched Annika Sorenstam (she matched ANNIKA!!!) for the lowest 72-hole score ever at 27-under. If you take Kim’s years on the KLPGA (2013, 2014) and LPGA (2015, 2016), she has a 4 year streak of winning multiple tournaments on her main tour. Sei-Young does have a KLPGA Major, so I would say the next step is to win a Major on the LPGA. Certainly, she needs to be in the conversation of best LPGA players without a Major…yet. SEI-YOUNG KIM DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA WTA Comeback Player of the Year
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Post by bangkokbobby on Dec 20, 2016 15:06:20 GMT
external link: Petra Kvitová Injured By Knife Wielding BurglarSad and scary news from the world of women's tennis. 2-time Wimbledon women's singles champion Petra Kvitová suffered what is being called a severe injury to her left hand in a struggle with a knife wielding burglar back home in the Czech Republic. Petra, who is left handed, is on my current Mount Rushmore of favorite players. She is uber talented and has a very sweet disposition. I hope she recovers not only physically, but emotionally. Always wishing the best for Petra.
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Post by bangkokbobby on Dec 20, 2016 16:05:23 GMT
Update: As a left handed player, this is serious for her career.
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Post by 18majors on Dec 20, 2016 16:10:21 GMT
Get fully well, Petra!
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Post by bangkokbobby on Dec 20, 2016 18:17:57 GMT
Thankfully, the burglar had a knife, not a gun...of course, a knife can be fatal as well, but at least it gave Petra, although a sweet person in nature also an athletic woman and 6 feet tall, a chance to fight off the intruder.
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Post by bangkokbobby on Dec 20, 2016 22:13:18 GMT
from official WTA Insider (which is run by the WTA): There were also reports that in the struggle the knife was at her throat before she fought off the intruder. This could have been much worse. As it is, 3 months until any weight can be placed on her left hand. Forget any tennis in the near future. Just hoping for a full recovery and normal use of her hand. As a side note, as a three year old I nearly had my hand bitten off by a German Shepherd. Doctors at Lankenau Hospital just outside of Philly thought I'd never have use of it again but there just happened to be a specialist visiting that day from Korea. My grandmother pleaded for them not to amputate my left hand, which they recommended. So the Korean doctor assisted with emergency surgery and all these years later I still have full use if my injured hand with only a prominent scar and a slightly bent index finger at the tip.
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Post by 18majors on Dec 20, 2016 23:28:17 GMT
Petra is the nicest girl on WTA tour, hope the best for her.
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Post by bangkokbobby on Dec 21, 2016 14:07:11 GMT
Petra is the nicest girl on WTA tour, hope the best for her. Yes, she is. Winner of sportsmanship award on WTA 5 out of last 6 years, including this year. Only Kim Clijsters, another beloved player and my favorite active player until she retired, has won it more times (8). The sportsmanship award on the WTA is voted on by the players. One of the few current players I don't feel badly about when she beats my top fave, Madison Keys, even at the Olympics when Petra denied Maddie the Bronze Medal. A story in the Telegraph today about the outpouring of love towards Petra: Why Petra Kvitova transcends tour rivalry and is so loved by the tennis community
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